


Jaguar Storm

by AnselaJonla



Series: Prompt fills [17]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 08:19:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16572983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnselaJonla/pseuds/AnselaJonla
Summary: A fic written for a prompt on the r/WritingPrompts subreddit:[WP] It's raining Jaguars.





	Jaguar Storm

It's carnage out here! Some absolute  _fool_  with too much power and too little sense managed to  _completely_  fuck up a "raining cats and dogs" spell. Now this little party trick is causing death and chaos across the city.

What the spell is  _supposed_  to do is make some small magical constructs shaped like, well, cats and dogs rain over a small area. The summoned creatures are substantial enough to be petted, and act like the real animals, but they just bounce harmlessly off solid surfaces, or people, on their way down.

I really don't know how this overpowered idiot managed to fuck up this badly, and I don't think I  _want_  to know.

You see, instead of harmless cats and dogs, there are jaguars dropping out of the sky. And Jaguars. Yeah, the South American big cat and the luxury British sports car. And they don't bounce.

Well, the cars do, if they land on their wheels, but it's far from harmless.

The jaguar-storm is covering the whole city. So far the death toll from the falling cars alone is in the dozens, from people being crushed before the general public realised they needed to take shelter in sturdy buildings. Property damage is probably in the billions. Buildings and cars have been crushed, roads and infrastructure have been damaged, and there's fires all over from severed gas lines and ruptured fuel tanks. Fire crews and paramedics are among those taking shelter, preserving their vehicles for when it's safe.

Of course, the cars are only part of the problem. They, at least, generally stay where they land. The cats, on the other hand, don't. They tend to land on their feet, and then they  _hide_. Or hunt. And trust me, that's pretty much the same thing with them. I've already fried a few that tried their luck with me while I've been trying to reach the epicentre of this storm.

Like the cars the cats are  _real_. Flesh and blood  _Panthera onca_ , complete with fangs, claws, and a hunger for meat. And in a city like this, the only ready source of meat is us: humans.

Oh hey, there's someone ahead. They're not wearing the gold half-cloak of Derby Police Magical Response, so it's not one of my colleagues. And since this is the eye of the storm, that means they're probably the cretinous mage responsible.

Oh joy, they're wearing a University of Derby hoodie. Michelle in forensics owes me a tenner for that. Unfortunately I didn't win the pool for the colour; I bet the next student to cause magical mayhem would have a green hoodie, and this one is wearing an eye-searing shade of pink.

I deliberately crunch a piece of smashed Jag as I enter the casting circle. The student whips round to face me, his eyes wide in panic. Daft bugger looks utterly exhausted. Looks like he's been trying to cancel the spell, but he's fucked it up so much the usual counter to "raining cats and dogs" just doesn't work.

Luckily I've got a connection to the magic boffins at St Mary's Wharf. They've been analysing this from their nice safe bunker, while I've been deflecting falling cars and charring hungry moggies. And they've come up with a counter. Hopefully I have enough left in the tank to actually  _cast_  it.

I chant the counter, building my power up, and then direct the magic into the black clouds above. They resist, pushing back against me.  _Damnit_ , I'm not strong enough.

I hear a second chant. Mr Pink Hoodie is pouring his own power into the cloud, having heard my counter spell. Between us it's enough and the clouds just vanish, as if they'd never been there.

I drop to one knee, panting as if I'd just sprinted a hundred metres. It's over. Well, almost.

"You are under arrest on suspicion of reckless use of magic and endangering lives through magic use. You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence."


End file.
